


5 times stiles kissed the wrong hale and the one time he got it right

by bilinskibutt



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe - Human, Aromantic Character, Fluff, Mentioned Jennifer Blake, Mentioned Kate Argent, Multi, Recreational Drug Use, all the kissing, idk how to tag this, so many pairings going on in here, stiles/malia fwb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-14
Updated: 2015-04-14
Packaged: 2018-03-22 20:20:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3742348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bilinskibutt/pseuds/bilinskibutt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The titles says it all.<br/>5 times Stiles kisses the wrong Hale, and the one time he gets it right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	5 times stiles kissed the wrong hale and the one time he got it right

**Author's Note:**

> this was only supposed to be like 6k max, i don't know what happened.
> 
> Stiles and Malia have a friends with benefits relationship in this fic, just a heads up if that's not your thing.

In the years since his mom's passing Stiles has become very familiar with the Hales.

It started with him needing a babysitter while his dad was working. Laura would pick him up after school and help him with homework and talk him down from panic attacks, and she never got annoyed when he got a little extra clingy. It didn't take long for the rest of the Hale crew to infiltrate the Stilinskis. Talia Hale was a hurricane of a woman, she came swirling into their lives with kind words and dinner invites and before they knew it they were spending holidays in the Hale house.

Although he was always welcomed, Stiles never spent much more time there than required. It wasn't because he didn't like them, he did; Laura was fun and they got along despite the age gap, Cora and he had a very tentative friendship, mostly they'd come to the agreement that as long as he doesn't talk she won't punch him in the face. Darren, the oldest of the Hale siblings, wasn't around much, but Stiles had idolized him when he was little, the guy drove a _motorcycle._ And then there was Derek. There was nothing wrong with Derek per se, but he seemed to always be frowning at Stiles, like his mere presence was an inconvenience, and fine, Stiles hadn't wanted to join their family in the first place. But it wasn't just Derek's cool indifference that kept him away, mostly it was just because he didn't actually connect to any of them, and that was okay, he had Scott for that.

Now Stiles is a senior in high school and is supposed the be working with Cora for their Lit project; she'd seemed less than enthusiastic about their partnership, but that's pretty much par for the course when it comes to Cora. She swings open the door before he can even knock, also something he's gotten used to by now, apparently the Jeep is pretty conspicuous when its coming down the gravel driveway.

"We're working in the living room," she announces before stalking away down the hall, Stiles follows because it's better than getting his face punched in.

"Nice to see you, too," he mutters to himself.

Cora has her laptop and books strewn across the coffee table and is sitting cross-legged on the floor, he tosses his book bag down before joining it.

They hash out the project details and work on choosing their topic, it's mildly companionable compared to some of their previous encounters.

Derek stomps in thirty minutes in, apparently home from college, and growling angrily into his phone.

"What's his deal?" Stiles quietly asks her.

Cora's lips curl into a little snarl around her pen. "Remember that girl he was dating, Kate?"

Stiles nods, he'd seen pictures of her on Derek's Facebook. "Super hot blonde Kate, yeah."

She snorts, grabs a handful of pretzels from the bag on the table. "Yeah, well turns out she's super psychotic and keyed Derek's car when he broke up with her."

He winces. "Not the Camaro!"

From his spot by the window Derek turns and glares at him, Stiles returns it with the most sympathetic look he can muster and it earns him an eye roll.

Cora nods, jots something down in her notebook. "She really fucked it up too, Der's like half a second away from taking her to court."

True to her word the next sentence out of Derek's mouth is, "I swear to god, Kate, either pay for the repairs or I'm getting the cops involved."

Even from across the room they can hear the cackles coming from the other side of the phone. Derek's exit is even angrier than his entrance.

"Sometimes coming to your house is better than going to the movies," Stiles says after a moment.

Cora flicks a pretzel at him. "Do your work, Stilinski."

Stiles picks the pretzel up from where it landed on his shirt and eats it as loudly as possible, but does as she says.

"So are you and Scott dating?" Cora asks out of nowhere ten minutes later.

Stiles chokes a bit on his water and it takes a few minutes of coughing before he can give her and answer. "What? No."

Her eyes narrow, evaluating him in a way that makes him feel vaguely uncomfortable. "Are you sure, because I'm pretty sure I saw you two almost kiss today at lunch."

This time he laughs. "Nah, it was just a bit of gay chicken. Scotty totally ducked out first this time," he announces proudly. "Why? Did you wanna watch?" he asks with a ridiculous waggle of his brow.

Cora, never one to back down from a challenge, grins widely. "Mostly I was just wondering if you knew how to do anything useful with that mouth."

And if she had said those words to him two years ago he would have spluttered and flailed and just made a complete fool of himself, but junior year was kind to him and he _knew_ _things_ now.

So he gives her a grin that matches the one she's sporting and says, "I'd be happy to give you a demonstration."

And that's how he ends up with a lapful of Cora and plump lips pressed against his own. He's absolutely unsurprised to find out that Cora kisses as aggressively as she does everything else. There's a lot of teeth and tongue, but it's good, great even. She tastes like salt and the orange slices they've been eating, he likes the feeling on her weight settled on top of him. That is, until Derek's angry exclamation of, " _What the hell_." has them separating, and Stiles is promptly thrown out of the house, backpack and all.

He gets a text from Cora later that nights that reads:

_We're not dating, you're still a loser, but I wouldn't be against doing that again sometime._

Stiles snorts into his pillow and texts back _k babe_. She glares at him all through Lit class the next day. Derek watches them like a hawk the next few days while they work and any kissing that may have occurred is squandered by overprotective brothers.

 

++++++

 

Stiles meets Malia at a Halloween party thrown in one of the sorority houses. She's dressed as a slutty pirate, plastic sword and all, a little tipsy and dancing by herself in the middle of the living room. She's gorgeous and he's got enough drunken confidence to walk over and join her. He ends up pinned against the wall sometime later, her hands roaming and mouth pushing insistently against his. They end up back in her dorm room and it's probably the best Halloween Stiles has had since the time Beacon Hills did a haunted house and hired professionals.

They fall into a pattern after that. They're not dating; Malia's aromantic and Stiles has enough on his plate with his course load, but friends with benefits they can handle. It's fun, sex with Malia is _wild_ , animalistic even, his roommate applauded when he saw the scratch marks on Stiles' back. Sometimes they just hang out, play videogames and order pizza. It's like having Scott at college with him, except, you know, with the addition of sex. Really awesome sex.

That isn't to say that he's not having really awesome sex with other people though, because he is. There was a guy from his chem lecture that has the bluest eyes he's ever seen in his life, and a girl he met while waiting in line for coffee. And he knows Malia is hooking up with other people too; he ran into one guy leaving her room with his shirt half on while Stiles was coming over to help her study. So things are good between them, he feels like he's made a friend for life, which is pretty cool.

Stiles doesn't find out she's a Hale until the night before he leaves to go home for winter break.

They're lying side by side in her narrow bed, bare skin against bare skin, joint hanging between her fingertips; it's quiet in the room and Stiles' body feels heavy and relaxed.

Malia takes a pull before passing the joint to him. "What are you doing for break?" she asks after awhile.

He shrugs, shoulder rubbing against hers. "Going back home, hang out with my dad and Scott. We do Christmas Eve and New Years with family friends, nothing exciting. You?"

She lets out a little groan in answer. "My mom and step-dad are going on a cruise so I'm spending the holidays with my dad's family this year," she informs grumpily, pulling the joint out of his fingers as soon as his lips leave it. "So I'll be stuck in _Beacon Hills,_ " she sneers, "while my asshole brother goes to Hawaii with his best friend."

If Stiles wasn't so high he would have registered her words sooner, as it was it takes him a few minutes to process.

"Did you say Beacon Hills?"

She nods, her hair tickles his cheek and he scratches idly at it.

"Shit Malia, I'm from Beacon Hills."

"What? Wait, so you're gonna be there?"

He nods, eyes wide.

Malia lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank fuck! I know they're my family and all, but I swear to god they're fucking crazy, including my father," she pauses. "Especially my father. Promise me that you'll save me from them."

Stiles stares at her for a minute, maybe longer, time feels weird right now. "Please tell me you're not talking about the Hales, and if you are please say your dad isn't _Peter_."

She sets the joint down on her nightstand and rolls over onto her side to face him. "Hey it wasn't my choice. How do you know them anyway?"

He's still staring at her face, thinking about the last month and a half they've spent together and really it's not surprising to find out she's related, for not spending a lot of time with them she acts a lot like them. "You know how I said we spend the holidays with friends? The Hales are those friends. So I guess we'll be seeing each other over break after all."

"Huh," she breathes out. A moment later she's giggling and Stiles follows suit.

+

Malia comes over whenever she can get away from her family and Stiles' dad is at work. They fuck in his childhood bedroom and smoke on the roof, things between them are easy and knowing her family probably better than she does changes nothing.

However said family finding out about their arrangement makes does make things a little awkward.

Christmas Eve has been spent with the Hales since Stiles was nine, it mostly involved hot chocolate, board games, and a big buffet of food. He and his dad arrive later in the afternoon, Talia's husband, James, greeting them warmly at the door. Laura launches herself into his arms as soon as she catches sight of him, ruffling his hair with a large grin on her face. Cora gives him one of her small smiles, but mostly ignores him in favor of her phone. Talia pulls both men into tight hugs, orders Stiles to eat a few cookies, which he absolutely does. The house is decorated impeccably as always; garland down the stair banister, multiple Christmas trees (the Hales don't half-ass anything), wreaths, bows, lights, the whole nine yards. Stiles loves it. The holidays were always his mom's favorite time of the year, and even though he still aches at the thought of her not being here, he knows she would be much happier having them spend it with friends rather than alone eating TV dinners.

Malia's in the living room watching an overly cliché Hallmark Christmas movie, body stretched out on the sofa. She pulls her legs up for him to sit and then promptly puts her feet in his lap, but otherwise ignores his presence.

Across the room Peter snorts, he's got a mug of something in hands that Stiles doubts is hot chocolate. "You'll have to forgive her, Stiles, her manners could still use some work."

Stiles shrugs. "Nothing she hasn't done before, I'm used to it." He grabs a candy cane from the dish on the coffee table and works on unwrapping it.

"You two know each other?" Laura asks as she walks into the room, stack of board games in her hands. She has on an obnoxious Christmas sweater and matching Santa hat, but somehow still looks gorgeous.

He nods, sucks on his candy for a minute before answering. "We go to the same college and hang out sometime," he says nonchalantly. Neither of them are interested in their arrangement being made out to be something bigger than it actually is. "Hey, where are your brothers anyway?" Probably not the most subtle of subject changes but it'll do.

Laura plops down onto one of the overstuffed armchairs, legs dangling over the arm. "Derek went to pick Darren up from the airport, they should be back soon."

After that Laura manages to get all the kids into a game of Clue. Peter leaves them to go chat with the rest of the adults in the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of wine from the rack in the dining room as he goes.

The guys show up shortly after, the two of them loud as they come banging through the front door laughing. He can hear Darren's indignant cry of, " _Mom_ ," and can only assume that Talia is pressing big fat kisses to his cheeks as she's wont to do. Darren gets pulled into the kitchen to catch up with his parents but Derek joins the rest of them in the living room.

Stiles takes a minute to just look at him. He's not frowning or scowling for once, he even cracks a grin at Laura when she murmurs something to him. He looks good like that, Stiles decides. He's always known that Derek was a handsome dude, but recent sexuality revelations have him reevaluating. And he comes to the conclusion that Derek Hale is fine as fuck, which isn't surprising with Hale genetics being what they are. But seriously, were his arms always that big? And he definitely didn't remember that beard looking so appealing. College really has broadened his horizons.

The kids continue their game, Darren joining them at some point, and Stiles takes notice of the small pleased smile on Malia's face as they joke around. He's happy for her; she's quickly become someone he cares for and he's glad that she's getting along better with her family than she had expected. He doesn't know if it'll last, maybe it's just a consequence of feel-good holiday emotions, but the Hales are nothing if not persistent and he's seen the fond looks the older Hale siblings have been shooting Malia's way. He doesn't think they'll let her slip away so easily this time.

Talia calls them all for dinner an hour later. The dining room is as decorated as the rest of the house, there's a Christmas tree in front of the windows and wreaths on the wall, it all feels very editorial magazine worthy. The table is covered in fancy plates and mouthwatering food, the mashed potatoes are  especially calling Stiles' name. Talia and James take the ends of the table, John next to him and Peter by his sister, Stiles gets wedged between Laura and Darren, Cora is across from Laura, Derek sits next to her across from Stiles and Malia on the other side of him. They're a little packed in and there's definitely some elbow bumping as plates are loaded up, but it's nice. Stiles likes being surrounded by his little pseudo family and he knows his dad does too; it will never compare to Christmases with his mom, but it's pleasant all the same.

Conversations flow throughout the table, Laura pesters him for information on his love life, he indulges her with brief stories of some of his hookups, leaving out Malia of course. He dodges questions about his major- undecided at the moment- and listens as Darren recounts the tales of his life as a travel photographer. Malia texts him while he's got his mouth stuffed full of oh so delicious potatoes.

_Heard your dad has the night shift tonight. Wanna meet up?_

Stiles swallows and takes a sip of water, subtly meeting her eye across the table. She's got a small smirk on her lips, but hides it behind her croissant. Christmas Eve sex? He can totally get behind that. He's got a whole array of Christmas related innuendos floating around in his mind and he's totally going to use them later.

He texts her back as inconspicuously as possible.

_Definitely._

His phone is silent for a few minutes before it starts buzzing against his leg. He checks it under the table and can feel his face heating up at the words on the screen. Malia has a thing for dirty talk, and she's _really_ good at it. And apparently doesn't have anything against sexting at the dinner table while amongst family, good to know.

"No texting at the table, Stiles," Laura says teasingly as she reaches for his phone; he's too horrified to even stop her. "Who are you talking to anyway?"

Finally his brain catches up and he makes a grab for his phone, Laura doesn't budge. He watches her face go from teasing to amused to shocked. "Oh," she says quietly. She goes to hand it back to him but before either of them can register it, Cora is reaching across the table and snagging his phone from her hand.

Stiles tenses and waits for it, she doesn't disappoint.

"You two are sleeping together?" Cora exclaims loudly, glancing back and forth between him and Malia. He does his best to sink into the floor.

The entire table has gone quiet, all eyes on the two of them.

Malia is the first to break the silence. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes."

Derek grabs his phone from Cora and hands it back to him wordlessly, Stiles is too embarrassed to look at him or anyone else for that matter.

"So you two are dating?" John asks, his fork is still paused midair.

"No, they're not," Peter answers. Out of everyone he looks the most relaxed, but then Stiles isn't sure that there's anything that can get under Peter's skin.

Malia narrows her eyes at him, tone accusatory when she asks, "How would you know?"

Stiles doesn't know much about their situation, Malia's not exactly an open book after all. He knew Peter had kids with a woman he never married; he's heard them mentioned briefly in the past, but for the most part Peter isn't exactly father material. He spends a lot of time traveling, sipping fancy wine, and judging other people; doting on children isn't really his style. According to Malia the only thing he really exceeds at as a parent is gift giving; Stiles has been around for enough birthdays and Christmases to agree.

Peter rolls his eyes and takes a sip of wine. "Say what you want about my parenting skills, but I am the one that had to explain to your mother that just because you're aromantic it doesn't mean you're broken."

Malia huffs but seems to begrudgingly accept his answer.

"Alright," John says slowly, in the way that Stiles knows means he doesn't completely understand but he's willing to leave it alone. "You two _are_ being safe though, right?"

"Oh my god, _dad_!" Stiles cries, and his mortification seems to do away with the lingering tension across the table.

The rest of their meal is relatively uneventful, for which Stiles is thankful. He sneaks out the backdoor in between dinner and dessert, sits down on the steps of the back porch and just takes a minute to enjoy the reprieve from the madness inside. He hears the door open behind him and expects to see his dad or Malia or anyone really other than who actually joins him on the steps.

Derek doesn't say anything to him, just leans against the railing stares into the darkness of the forest surrounding the house.

"How long do you think it would take my dad to show up if I pulled out a joint right now?" Stiles wonders, he's got one stashed in the glove compartment of his Jeep and at the moment nothing sounds more appealing.

Derek snorts. "Under thirty seconds for sure."

Stiles sighs pitifully.

"You alright?" Derek asks, glancing at him this time.

"Yeah, man, I'm fine. Not the way I saw this dinner going, but then dinner with you guys is always weird as fuck," Stiles says with a grin.

Derek huffs a little laugh, small grin in place. "Fair enough."

Stiles studies him for a minute; he's not really sure if he's ever seen Derek this relaxed, it's fascinating honestly.

"You're in a really good mood, dude. It's starting to weird me out," he states. From inside he can hear Laura's loud snorting laugh, the one she only does when she's got a few glasses of wine in her.

Derek shoves his elbow into to Stiles' ribs, albeit gently. "Shut up," he mutters.

"No, seriously man, what's up? The only time you've been this nice to me is when I was ten and broke my arm when I fell out of a tree."  Derek had been babysitting him at the time. He'd been trying his hardest not to cry but then Derek had went and asked if he was okay, and just like that the waterworks were turned on. The look on Derek's face had been pure terror mixed with concern. He'd held Stiles until he stopped crying and then promptly drove him to the hospital.

Derek shrugs, they're close enough that his arm rubs against Stiles'. "I'm seeing this girl, her name's Jennifer," he finally admits.

Stiles coos at him. " _Someone's getting laid_ ," he sing-songs. It certainly explains Derek's good mood.

Derek outright shoves him this time. "God, you're so immature," he bemoans while Stiles is laughing.

Stiles takes a moment to sober up. "I'm sorry," be breathes between laughs until he has himself under control. "So are things serious between you and this Jennifer?" he asks as earnestly as possible, he sounds remarkably like his father.

Derek shrugs again, but Stiles is pretty sure he can see his ears going pink in the dim lighting. "I mean, kind of? I really like her," he admits.

Stiles claps him on the back. "Good for you man," he says with a smile. Derek ducks his head shyly but he's smiling too.

"So, first Cora, then Malia, who's next?" Derek asks him with a smirk.

He squawks indignantly. " _What_? No, dude. This is not a pattern. I didn't even know Malia was related to you guys until a few days ago. This is not a _thing_ ," he argues.

Derek just smirks.

 

++++++

 

Okay so it's totally a pattern. But it's definitely not Stiles' fault, not at all.

Jackson is the product of spring break in Mexico and too much tequila. Or that's what he's going to tell people at least.

Before spring break Stiles had seen Jackson around on campus; they'd never spoken, never even made accidental eye contact, but apparently Jackson has the world's biggest problem with Stiles.

Malia had invited him to join a group of kids going away for break and he was all for it. They rent out a house on the beach, stock up on a ton of alcohol and shitty playlists full of dubstep remixes, and proceed to act like a bunch of unsupervised college kids. It's great, until it's not.

The first day there Stiles lathers himself up in sunscreen and plops his pale ass down on the beach, beer in hand and a cute girl in a tiny bikini by his side. He talks to her for awhile, finds out her name's Caitlin, she's madly in love with a girl named Emily who's back in California, and she's a marine bio major. They're making plans to explore the nightlife later when a volleyball comes flying in and knocks his drink out of his hand. He's shaking the spilled beer off his hand when a blond guy comes walking over to grab the ball.

"Dude, seriously?" Stiles glares, the ass didn't even apologize.

The guy just sneers and kicks sand back at him when he runs off back to friends.

After that Stiles starts to run into him-Jackson, he learns from a some guy named Greenburg-everywhere he goes. There's a level of hostility coming from Jackson at all of their interactions. They're just little things; trying to trip him when Stiles is dancing, snubbing his music taste, mocking him when Stiles is trying to have a conversation with other people, but it's grating and completely undeserved. Stiles doesn't even _know_ him for fuck's sake. He would confront him about it, but it almost feels like the guy is pulling his pigtails, and that thought has Stiles giving his actions a more critical eye.

By the third night he's almost positive he knows what's going on, he just needs an opportunity to test his theory. The whole group is out on the patio, some in the pool or hot tub, Danny is manning the grill with a muscular blond guy's arms wrapped around him, a few girls are lounging on the chairs. Stiles had just gotten off the phone from an impromptu call with Scotty-apparently he'd just met the love of his life, _again_ -and is headed for the pool when Jackson slams into him, pushing by with a hissed, "Fucking watch it, Stilinski." And Stiles figures now is probably as good a time as any to put his theory to work.

Stiles grabs Jackson's arm, and it's probably thanks to his surprise that Stiles is able to push him against the nearest wall. He gets up close, hands on either side of Jackson's head and hisses, "The fuck is your problem, man?" The area Stiles led them to is pretty secluded, he doubts anyone will be able to see them, which is good because he gets the feeling that Jackson wouldn't enjoy an audience.

Jackson shoves at him but Stiles stands firm.

"Get the fuck off me," Jackson snarls.

"Nope. I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what your issue is. I came on this trip to have a good time, not to be harassed by a life-size Ken doll."

Jackson pushes again, his face flushed in anger. Stiles just presses in even closer, their chests almost touching. When he sees Jackson's eyes drop down to his lips and flit away quickly he could crow in victory.

He smirks, licks his lips just to watch Jackson track the movement. "Is that what all this is about? You've been acting like a douche because you don't want anyone to find out you'll fallen prey to the Stilinski charm." It's not a question; he is one hundred percent sure he's right about this.

His words just serve to make Jackson blush harder, scowl deepening. "You honestly think I would be attracted to someone who looks like you?"

Stiles grins smugly. "Judging by the boner currently pressing against my thigh, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that you are."

Jackson fucking growls at him, and if Stiles lips weren't under attack he would be sure to comment on that. But as it is, Jackson's mouth is pressing hard and messy against his own. The kiss is honestly more like a fight; it's aggression and desperation, there's a clash of teeth at one point, and Jackson's broken moans that he's trying to choke back. It's harsh, but Jackson's lips are soft under his, and the hands clutching at Stiles' hips are warm and strong. Stiles gets his own hands on Jackson's pert little ass, encourages him to grind into Stiles' thigh just so he can hear him whimper.

Being right about his assumption, breaking Jackson down into a moaning mess, it's exhilarating, the best kind of adrenaline rush there is.

Jackson breaks away first, lips red and swollen, breath quick. "My room," he breathes out.

Stiles nods, following Jackson as he leads them around the side of the house to avoid being seen by the others. Stiles couldn't care less if anyone sees them, but he's not going to complain as long as he's getting laid. Jackson's room is bigger than the one he shares with Malia, and instead of two twin sized bed there's a plush looking king that Stiles intends to take full advantage of. Their momentum seems to have slowed down, and a tension builds in the room as he locks the door behind him, and not the good kind of tension either. Jackson actually looks a bit nervous.

 A thought slips out before he can stop it. "Have you ever been with a guy before?"

It's obviously the wrong thing to ask, because as soon as the words are out of his mouth Jackson shuts down. Arms crossed, jaw clenching, face blank, full on shut down. Which sucks, but suddenly Jackson's behavior makes so much more sense.

What started out as the urge to prove a point has just turned into something he's strangely invested in. He realizes suddenly that he's feeling a little protective. He knows nothing about Jackson honestly, but he feels for the guy, obviously there's something that's been keeping him from being comfortable enough to express his wants and needs, and that's pretty shitty. Stiles was lucky when he came out; his friends and family had been so chill about the whole thing, and the first guy he was with had made sure he was enjoying it. Stiles wants to be able to give someone else that same sense of comfort. He's not the nicest guy around, he accepts this about himself. Scott has always been the good one between the two of them, but he thinks this is one time where he needs to make some effort to be the good guy. A bad first experience can put you off from something for a long time, he's not gonna do that to Jackson.

Stiles steps up to him tentatively, places a hand on his shoulder. Jackson tenses but doesn’t make a move to get rid of him, small mercies.

"Hey, it's okay, man. I'm not judging or anything. I just wanna make sure that this is good for you too, that you really want to do this."

Jackson doesn’t say anything, he's still avoiding Stiles' eyes, but he's not quite as tense as before.

"We don't have to do anything. We can just make out and cuddle if you want?" Stiles suggests. He doesn't know if Jackson is a cuddler, but Stiles definitely is, and honestly the dude looks like he could use a hug or two.

"Maybe," Jackson starts, then pauses, clears his throat a little. His face is rapidly turning pink, obviously embarrassed about whatever it is he has to say. "Maybe we could just do that for awhile, maybe work our way up?"

He's still refusing to meet Stiles' eyes and the amount of vulnerability on his face is frankly unsettling. So Stiles gets a grip on the back of his neck and pulls him in for another kiss, this one softer than before. Jackson lets out a little gasp and Stiles slips his tongue in, building their desire back up, though nowhere near as frantic as before.

"We can definitely do that," he mutters against Jackson's mouth.

Jackson walks them back until Stiles is collapsing onto the bed. Laughing, he wiggles his way up the bed until he's relaxing against the pile of pillows. Jackson whips his shirt off before crawling up the bed to join him.  Stiles lets his eyes roam, takes in Jackson's broad shoulders, trim waist, abs he's obviously worked very hard on, it's a pretty nice view to have, and Jackson practically preens under his gaze. He doesn't know how anyone ever fell for the guy's whole alpha male shtick; Stiles hardly even knows him, but even he can tell that the guy is desperate for approval. He figures he can give him that at least.

"Fuck, you look so good," Stiles breathes, hands trailing down Jackson's sides as he speaks.

Jackson smiles, like an honest genuine smile, and ducks his head so he can suck and nibble under Stiles' jaw.

They kiss for awhile, at some point Stiles' shirt joins Jackson's on the floor. They bite and suck and lick at whatever bare skin they can reach. It's push and pull between them. They fight for who gets to be one top of who, at one point almost rolling off the bed completely, Jackson's quick reflexes the only thing that saves them from crashing to the tile floor. It's good, fuck it's so good. He's on top of Jackson, grinding against each other like a couple of horny high school boys with their first girlfriend, but it's working for them.

Jackson's nipples are extremely sensitive, Stiles is pleased to discover. He's taking his time with them, licking and nibbling, Jackson moaning obscenely underneath him, when there's a loud knock on the door that startles them both. Neither of them move, hoping that whoever's there will get the hint and go away.

No such luck. The knocking gets louder, followed by a female voice calling out, "Jackson, I know you're in there! Put your dick away and open the door." The voice is familiar, but Stiles' little sexed up brain can't place it.

Jackson groans, throws his head back against the pillow, but shifts like he's going to get up.

Stiles makes a little unhappy noise in the back of his throat. "Maybe she'll go away," he says quietly.

Jackson shakes his head, grips Stiles by the hips and shifts him until he's no longer sitting on top of him. "It's my sister, she'll stay out there all night if I try to ignore her." He reaches down and adjusts his dick in his pants before padding over to the door; Stiles stays on the bed, attempting to glare through the door at whoever has decided to interrupt them.

He's not expecting that person to be the girl he's been sleeping with casually for months now.

"Finally," Malia huffs when Jackson swings open the door.

"What do you want?" Jackson sighs, arms crossed over his chest once more.

"I need to borrow some-" she cuts off abruptly, her eyes landing on Stiles.

Stiles who is sitting in Jackson's bed, shirtless, hair disheveled, lips swollen; it doesn't take a genius to figure out what they've been up to.

"Oh my god. _Stiles_?" Malia's eyes are wide, darting back and forth between him and her brother like she can't actually believe what she's seeing. Given that he's the first guy Jackson' ever been with he can understand her confusion.

"Wait, you two are related?" Stiles' brain finally seems to catch up with what's really important here.

Jackson nods. "We're twins."

"Jesus Christ," Stiles groans, wiping a hand across his face. Another damn Hale; Derek's gonna laugh at him for the rest of his life if he finds out.

"You two know each other?" Jackson asks.

Stiles and Malia haven't actually spent much time together on this trip despite sharing a room. She's been off with other friends, going shopping and hitting the clubs; Stiles has been hanging out with Caitlin a lot, so it's not that surprising that Jackson hasn't realized that they're friends.

"Uhh," Stiles says. Because really, what the hell is he supposed to say to the guy he's just spent the past hour making out with. _'Hey man you should probably know that I've been screwing your sister for like five months now, but it's cool, we're just friends.'_ He can imagine how well that scenario would play out. Malia doesn't seem to be offering anything up either.

Jackson lifts a brow at them, waiting for an answer.

Malia rolls her eyes and sighs. "You know the guy I've been fucking around with for awhile now? He's that guy."

Stiles chokes. He's always known Malia to be blunt, admired her for that even, but has she no shame? God, Jackson's gonna kill him. He totally seems like the guy who would go into overprotective big brother mode.

"This guy. Really, Malia?" Jackson asks; his judgmental eyebrows could rival Derek's.

His sister smirks at him. "He seemed to be good enough for you a few minutes ago, I mean judging by the noises I heard coming out of here."

Jackson glares at her, pulls his wallet out of the back pocket of his designer jeans. "How much money did you want to borrow?" Not that subtle, but it works. Malia reaches out and pulls a few bills from his wallet before handing it back.

"Thanks, bro. Have fun you two," she calls out as she walks away. Stiles can hear her laughter echoing down the hall.

Jackson shuts the door behind her and the two of them are left staring awkwardly at each other.

Stiles is about to just grab his shirt and leave when Jackson speaks.

"You wanna watch a movie or something?" He says it casually, but he's fiddling with the seam of his jeans and his eyes are looking above Stiles' head.

Stiles remembers the way he felt when he had told his dad he was bisexual, and even though it went great and his dad was super supportive, he had felt shaky the rest of the evening, residual nerves running through him. He doesn't know if it's like that for Jackson, but the guy's just been surprise outted to his sister if she didn't know already-and judging by her face she hadn't-and he figures it would be good for Jackson to have someone to just chill with after that. So he nods and settles back into the bed while Jackson grabs his laptop and sets it up between them.

+

Stiles wakes up in the morning to an empty bed. The sun is breaking in through the cracks in the blinds and he allows himself a minute to bask in the warmth. He stretches, feels his back pop and cracks his neck before he slides out of bed in search of his clothes. He'd kicked off his pants when he'd starting dozing off, neither him nor Jackson were keen on sleeping in jeans. Once dressed he grabs his phone off the night stand and walks out to the kitchen, checking his phone while he goes.

There's a message from Derek waiting for him, and that's been a new development in their relationship. It started after the holidays. Derek had texted him, asked for his opinion on a book, and it just kind of took off from there. They started texting about whatever came to mind, pointless things, things they saw during the day, sometimes more serious stuff, like Derek's ever fluctuating relationship status. Turns out Jennifer was only using him to get back at her ex-girlfriend, Kali. Stiles had gotten a drunken rant that lasted for a full hour before Derek had finally passed out. But it's surprisingly nice, talking to Derek. Out of all the Hales he'd always been the one Stiles knew the least about, but now they were closer than ever and it was actually pretty great. Derek was _funny_ , who would've guessed?

_Jackson? Really? Whatever happened to "It's not a pattern, Derek"_

Stiles glares at the screen. Fucking Malia. She's probably told the whole family by now. He grabs the juice out of the fridge, rinses out a glass that smells like vodka, and pours himself a cup.

_In my defense I didn't know. I'm going to have to start asking people whether or not they're somehow related to you._

Greenburg comes stumbling into the kitchen then, he blinks at Stiles blearily, grabs a bottle of water and then retreats like an easily spooked cat; Stiles just stares, the dude's weird as shit but he makes a killer drink. Stiles ransacks the kitchen for a couple of granola bars and a banana before heading out to the patio. It's warm and sunny out just like it has been the past three days, and he takes a seat on one of the lounge chairs. Derek texts him back while he's peeling his banana.

_A solid conversation starter I'm sure. But seriously how could you not know he's Malia's brother?_

Stiles takes a vicious bite of his fruit.

_Don't know if you've realized, but your cousin is not exactly a sharer. Also she pretty much exclusively referred to her brother as jackass, which makes sense now that I've met him._

Okay, that may not be true. He and Jackson had spent the night watching Bob's Burgers on Netflix once they'd realized they would never agree on what movie to watch. It had actually been pretty chill. Jackson wasn't the nicest guy, but then neither was Stiles. At some point they'd ended up cuddling like Stiles had suggested. Comfortable and under the cover of darkness the two of them had talked; Jackson wasn't exactly an open book, but Stiles at least feels like he knows the guy now. They'd exchanged numbers at one point, talked about hanging out at some point when they got back to school, but both of them had agreed that sex was off the table, which was fine with Stiles. Sleeping with Malia's brother was a little too weird, even for him.

_Whatever you say. Mostly I'm just wondering who you're fourth victim will be._

Stiles hates Derek sometimes.

_There will not be a fourth._

_Also none of them were victims. There was enthusiastic consent from all parties ;)_

 

++++++

 

Every summer Talia Hale organizes a carnival in Beacon Hills, all proceeds go to the children's hospital of course. It's a pretty big affair, all the local businesses participate, people from nearby towns come in for the food, rides, and games. Stiles has been going for as long as he can remember with Scott always at his side. This year is no different.

He arrives alone, Scott's supposed to meet up with him after he drops Melissa off some lunch at the hospital. He pays his admittance fee and wanders for a bit, stopping to chat with people he recognizes. He talks with Lydia for awhile, she's home for the break and apparently dating deputy Parrish; Stiles has no idea how he missed that development. Peter finds him while he's contemplating whether or not he should wait for Scott to buy tickets for the rides.

"Stiles," he greets.

Stiles nods at him, hands in his pockets. "Peter," he mimics.

"It's been brought to my attention that you've been caught with another member of my family."

Stiles can feel himself flush despite the fact that he knows he has nothing to be embarrassed about. He's an adult, he can kiss whoever he pleases. He just shrugs at the other man.

Peter grins. "I was merely going to say that if you truly are working your way through the family, I'd gladly volunteer to be next," he says silkily.

" _Oh my god_ ," Stiles splutters, arms flailing a bit. "I've made out with both of your kids, had sex with one of them, _multiple times_! Do you even realize how creepy that is?"

A nearby woman gasps, utterly scandalized, and Stiles' cheeks flush deeper.

Peter shrugs, smarmy grin still in place. "It was just a suggestion," he says before walking off, tossing a goodbye over his shoulder.

Stiles shudders and does his best to pretend that the whole conversation was just a highly disturbing dream. Thankfully Scott texts him moments later and Stiles goes off to find him.

Scott and Kira are waiting near the entrance and Stiles throws himself into his bro's arms, the two of them clinging to each other in the midst of the crowd, Kira giggles and snaps pictures of the two to post on Instagram. Stiles lets go of Scott only to hug her instead.

Kira had been the girl Scott called him about during spring break, the two have been together for over a year now and Stiles is elated for Scott. Kira is perfect for him and Stiles gets along with her like he never has with anyone but Scott; he's pretty sure the two are fated to be together, he's already writing his best man speech.

As happy as he is for Scott, he can't help but be jealous. He's gotten to the point where he wants what they have. Hookups are fun and all, but Stiles had found himself craving an actual relationship, someone he can wake up to. He wants to do all that domestic shit like grocery shop together or decorate an apartment. He just wants _be_ with someone. Shortly after spring break Stiles had met a guy and they'd dated for two months, it was fine but Stiles had felt that they were better suited as friends. During his sophomore year he'd dated a few people; a vegan girl covered in tattoos, one of his TAs in secret,-which had been pretty exciting and led to some fantastic risky sex in the office- and a baseball player with an ass that should be framed. So he'd gotten around a bit, dated a fairly eclectic group of people, but none of them really did it for him. The issue isn't that he doesn't know what's wrong, it's exactly the opposite, actually. The problem is that somewhere along the way he went and developed the world's biggest crush on the one and only Derek Hale.

He doesn't even know when it happened. At some point he'd just realized that talking to Derek had become one of his favorite things, that he looked forward to hearing what he was up to, even if it was something as mundane as his laundry routine. He thinks about him all the time to the point where it's absurd. He'd gotten to hang out with Derek during the holidays and all it did was make his infatuation even worse. He hasn't seen Derek so far this summer, but Derek had texted him earlier and said that he'd be at the carnival. And what's worse is that he's on kissing booth duty this year.

It's the reason why he feels like he's about to sweat through his t-shirt, because today he's gonna kiss Derek. If all goes well he'll even try to talk _feelings_. He went over the plan with Scott to ensure that someone was there to make sure he wouldn't chicken out, and after suffering through Scott's merciless teasing he had agreed to be Stiles' wingman.

"Alright so do we wanna do rides first or do you wanna make out with Derek?" Scott asks as he winds his arm around Kira.

Stiles chews on his bottom lip while he thinks about it. "Kissing booth first, preferably before I lose my nerve."

Kira gives him a reassuring smile and squeezes his arm. "It'll be fine, Stiles."

He sincerely hopes she's right.

They find the line for the kissing booth without too much difficulty. There's a lot of people waiting, he doesn't know what else he was expecting really. Derek's smoking hot, a lot of people are gonna want to get all up on that, Stiles included.

"Oh, wow. You really weren't exaggerating," Kira breathes, her eyes wide as she stares ahead. Beside her Scott frowns and tugs her a little closer, causing her to grin up at him and kiss his cheek before whispering something into his ear that has him smiling goofily.

Stiles' nerves get worse the closer he gets. What if Derek is repulsed by him? What if he refuses to kiss him? What if he laughs in his face? Stiles tries to escape from the line no less than twice, Scott's arms wrapped around him is the only thing that keeps him from freedom. Luckily, Derek hasn't seemed to notice him waiting in line. Honestly the guy looks mortified and grumpy, Stiles thinks that he would feel the same if he was in Derek's shoes, and it's got him regretting this idea even more. Does he really want their first (and possibly only) kiss to happen when Derek's in a foul mood and has spent the afternoon kissing countless other people? The plan is sounding less and less ideal as the minutes drag on.

Still, he doesn't know whether he's relieved or annoyed when Laura steps in and takes Derek's place. Derek practically flees the scene and Stiles is left standing there feeling confused while he sorts through his emotions.

Next to him Scott winces. "Tough luck, buddy." He claps a hand on Stiles' shoulder and rubs his thumb up and down in comfort. Kira squeezes his hand in solidarity.

Stiles shrugs. "It probably wasn't my best idea anyway." He makes to leave the line like a few other people have after the attendant change, but Laura's voice stops him.

"Oh no you don't, Stiles!" she calls out. "I have heard things about that mouth, it's my turn now." The look on her face is positively gleeful, and Stiles knows she's going to give him so much shit later. Laura knowing about his crush on her brother? Positively mortifying.

People turn and stare at him, some of them leering, and he tries his best to hide behind Scott. With all the people who left, Stiles is only three people away from her, and he knows Laura well enough to know that trying to run away would just result in further embarrassment on his part so he stays put. Scott and Kira leave him now that he doesn't need moral support, and go get a funnel cake for the three of them to split instead.

Before he knows it he's standing in front of a grinning Laura.

"I would rather not do this, you know," he says in lieu of a greeting.

She smirks. "Oh but you were all for it when it was Derek up here."

Stiles refuses to blush, he won't do it. He tries to keep his face impassive, but he has a feeling he looks more like a petulant toddler.

"Don't worry, kiddo, I'm sure you'll get another chance. But for now drop a dollar in the jar and pucker up. I need to know if the rumors are true."

He doesn't even want to know. Still, he grabs a crumpled bill from his pocket and puts it in the almost full jar like she instructed.

Kissing over the barrier is awkward, but Stiles leans in and tilts his head until their lips slot together, noses brushing against each other. He keeps his eyes slightly open. It's weird. Kissing Laura is a lot like what he'd expect kissing a sister to be like. He can't deny that she's a good kisser, because she is, it's soft and sweet, but there's absolutely nothing there. They pull back from each other shortly after, this is a family function after all.

Laura hums as she straightens back up. "Not bad, definitely the best I've been obligated to kiss today."

Stiles snorts. "Gee, you really know how to boost a man's ego. How does your boyfriend feel about you working the booth anyway?"

"It's Boyd," she says like that explains everything, it kind of does. "Nothing really gets under his skin, besides, he knows he's the only one I really want to kiss. Now get out of here, there are people waiting."

Stiles does as told and goes to find his friends. Half of the funnel cake is gone already, powdered sugar is on Scott's face and down the front of his shirt. Stiles just shakes his head fondly.

"Give me that before you eat it all," Stiles grouses as he grabs the paper plate. He rips off a fairly large piece and shoves it in his mouth, chocolate sauce dripping over his fingers.

"I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to kiss him," Scott says from his seat at the picnic table.

"S'okay," he mumbles around his mouthful.

Kira looks up at him with sympathetic eyes, but her voice is bubbly when she suggests, "Wanna go shoot bottles and win giant bears?"

He grins. "Hell yeah, I do."

+

Derek texts him when the sun is starting to set. They've been at the carnival all day, rode their favorite rides, eaten excessive amounts of cotton candy, and won a couple prizes. It's been fun, Scott and Kira never make him feel like a third wheel, and he's grateful for that, but Derek wants to meet up and Stiles can't say no to that.

They exchange goodbyes with promises to hang out soon, and then Stiles is wading through the crowds to meet Derek by the Tilt-a-Whirl.  He's got a giant pink octopus plushie tucked under one arm and an icee in the other hand, Derek snorts when he sees him.

"Cute," he says with a nod at the octopus. He's smirking and it's so fucking attractive Stiles could weep.

"Hey, don't be a jerk. It took some serious skill to win this guy," he says instead.

Derek shakes his head, laughs a little, and some stupid part of Stiles feels like preening just because he amused him. It's ridiculous. He hasn't felt like this since Lydia Martin walked into his third grade class wearing a blue dress, her hair in ringlets. Actually, he's not sure he's ever felt quite like _this_ before, it's unnerving.

"Sure it did," Derek mocks. "Heard about Laura. I'm seriously starting to think that you're actually working your way through my family," he adds. He's got a little grin on his face that says he's joking and Stiles can't help what comes out of his mouth when he's faced with that.

"Careful, or you might be next," Stiles blurts, and then immediately wants to sink into the ground. He looks away before he can see what Derek's face looks like, and starts talking before he can say anything. He's terrified that he might have just let something important slip, that Derek will be able to work out his feelings for him from one sentence. And while earlier today he was totally prepared to put them out there, his confidence level has shrunk greatly since then. "And by the way, I didn't want to kiss Laura. She ambushed me, said she'd heard _rumors_. And it's not like your sister knows how to take no for an answer."

Derek hums in acknowledgement and Stiles braves looking at him. He's got that blank look on his face, the one Stiles hates because it's freaking impossible to figure out what's going on inside Derek's head. It's awful, and frankly unfair because Stiles' face feels like a goddamned open book at the best of times.

"Sounds like Laura," Derek finally says. "You know, the family's started taking bets on who's gonna be next." He smirks as they wander towards the Starship 2000, Stile's favorite ride.

He groans, buries his face into the octopus. "Just fucking kill me."

Derek just laughs.

 

++++++

 

Stiles makes a promise to himself that the only Hale-and hopefully the only person in general-he will be kissing from now on is Derek. Unfortunately fate is an asshole and things never go according to plan.

He barely sees Derek after the carnival. He got an internship back in LA for the summer, and Derek doesn't come home for the winter holidays, off traveling in South America with his siblings-which makes for an exceptionally quiet Christmas at the Hale house. Before he knows it, it's spring break and he's back in Beacon Hills for Laura's engagement party.

With a flute of champagne in hand he wanders through the Hale's backyard that's been transformed into something straight out of a fairytale. There's lights strung in all the trees, the wooden tables look rustic, but the platters and trays are just as decadent as the food that sits atop them. Laura is practically glowing, she looks radiant as she talks with guests and laugh with Boyd. Stiles is so happy for her, but he's also wondering where the hell her stupid brother is. He's seen Derek a little since he got home, they met for lunch yesterday, caught up on what's been going on in each other's lives. And damn, Stiles didn't think it was possible, but Derek looks even better than he did all those months ago. And he _wants_ , oh god does he want. Sometimes it even seems like Derek wants too.

Laura and Boyd are walking his way and he quickly stops her with a hand on her elbow.

"Have you seen Derek?" he asks when she raises a brow at him. Hales and their damn expressive eyebrows, it's awful.

She beams at him, glint in her eyes that says she knows exactly what's he thinking about. Surprisingly she's been great about keeping his crush a secret, he doesn't know why, but he's definitely grateful. Nothing is worse than a Hale trying to play matchmaker.

"I think he's down in the basement getting more champagne," she says. "Go get 'em, tiger," she teases with a nod and grin that looks fond.

Stiles nods, takes a deep, steadying breath, and downs the last of his drink quickly.

Right. He's totally got this. He's only been fantasizing about this for _years_ now, it's time to actually do it. He walks into the house, down the stairs to the basement, finds his way into the wine room. Derek is standing with his back to him, the room is dark and he honestly has no idea how he's reading the labels in this lighting. But that's not important right now; what's important is that he's walking up to Derek, that he's placing his hand on his shoulder, turning him so they're face to face, and he's finally, _finally_ , pressing their lips together.

Derek makes a little noise of surprise, he's not pulling back, but he's not responding either, and Stiles is about to pull back and run so he can freak out in private. Then, at the last second, there's a brush of lips against his own, and _thank god_. It's hesitant and a little chaste, nothing like he thought their first kiss would be like. And then he starts noticing things.

Like how Derek's beard was not that long yesterday, nor was he this tall, and he's pretty sure Derek _loathes_ suspenders.

_Aw hell._

Stiles pulls back abruptly, and now that his eyes have adjusted to the light his fears are confirmed. This is not Derek, of course it isn't.

It's Darren. Who is standing there with a little grin on his face like he's trying not to laugh. How is this his life.

"You look a little disappointed," Darren says. "Expecting someone else?"

Stiles glares. "Oh shut up, asshole," he hisses, but he's sure it comes off petulant. "Laura said Derek was down here." He's gonna kill her if she did this on purpose.

Darren nods. "He was supposed to be, but Cora needed him for something."

He groans. "This is just my luck. I'm starting to think fate is trying to tell me something here." He slides down a wall that's not covered in bottles and plops his ass down on the floor.

Darren frowns and joins him. "Naw, man. Don't think like that. You and Derek are like meant to be or some shit."

Stiles could laugh, for a minute he sounds just like Scott, which is nice. Stiles could use some Scott branded optimism at the moment.

"You honestly think that?" he asks, and hates how vulnerable his voice sounds.

Darren nods. "Yeah. You know he talks about you all the time, it's kind of disgusting really."

Stiles elbows him in the ribs, but the smile on his face is telling. "Dick," he says anyway.

The eldest Hale sibling laughs and stands, offers a hand to Stiles.

"Hey Darren?" he says as Darren plucks a couple bottles from the racks.

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you kiss back?" He can't help but be curious. Darren's been dating Braeden for years now; the two of them are honestly one of the most well matched couples he's ever met, it doesn't make sense to him that Darren would entertain a kiss with Stiles.

"You have no idea how much I've heard about your stupid mouth. I wanted to see what all the hype was about," he answers with a shrug, like it's no big deal.

Stiles bangs his head against the wall.

"Your family is the actual _worst_ , oh my god," he groans.

Darren just laughs at him and pats him on the back as he passes. "Gotta say, you weren't half bad, Stilinski," he tosses out as he walks away, leaving Stiles to wallow in his pity alone.

 

++++++

 

Derek finds him about an hour later when he's sitting in a more secluded area of the yard, attempting to drown himself in champagne, and he doesn't look happy.

He stands in front of Stiles with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. Stiles hasn't seen that scowl directed towards him in a long time, and his chest aches at the thought.

"Really, Stiles," Derek says. It's not the teasing way he usually says it after he's caught Stiles kissing a family member, he sounds mad. "What the hell are you playing at? Is this just some kind of game? Do you find it amusing or something? Because I don't get it. And really, Darren? That's a little tacky, don't you think, Stiles? He has a girlfriend, do you even give a shit about that? But I'm sure you've got some excuse for it, right? You always do. You didn't know, you didn't want to. What's it gonna be this time, huh?" Derek shakes his head, takes a breath; Stiles feels like he's going to be sick. "You know, I thought we-," he stops, rubs a hand over his face. "But never mind, obviously I was wrong," his voice is quiet, sad even, and he starts walking away before Stiles can even think.

But oh. _Oh_. Stiles gets it. Derek's not mad, well not entirely anyway, he's _hurt_. Because he wants Stiles, just like Stiles wants him, and Stiles is not about to let Derek walk away.

"I thought he was you," he blurts out to Derek's retreating figure.

Derek stops, turns and looks at Stiles with a tired face. "What."

"You wanted to know my excuse," he says, slowly walking towards Derek. "I came down to basement because Laura said you were there. It was dark and I thought Darren was you. It took me approximately three seconds to realize otherwise."

Derek still looks suspicious, Stiles can't really blame him, it's not like he has the best track record. "And you were coming to kiss me because?"

Stiles lets out a little self-depreciating laugh and decides, fuck it, he might as well go for broke here. "Because, for whatever reason, I'm totally in love with you."

Despite the music and the laughter coming from the rest of the party, their corner of the yard seems to fall perfectly silent. Stiles holds his breath and can't decide whether he should look at Derek or not. His stomach is in knots and he's starting to regret all that champagne.

"You're in love with me?" Derek croaks after an eternity. He looks shell-shocked and vaguely hopeful, pretty green eyes wide and mouth parted, his hands are at his sides now and he doesn't seem to know what to do with them.

Stiles lets out the breath he's been holding and nods as he steps a little closer. "For a long time now, it's honestly getting kind of ridiculous. Like full on romcom-esque pining material right here."

Derek's ensuing laugh is quiet and he looks downright bashful. Stiles could kiss him, but he's not sure if it would be welcomed, considering they've established Stiles' feelings but Derek has yet to say anything about his own.

"Erica told me I wasn't allowed to talk to her about you anymore unless it was to tell her that we finally got our shit together," Derek admits slowly, like he's embarrassed.

Stiles beams. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Derek nods.

"Well I guess we owe it to her to do as she says," Stiles says, stepping in closer until they're just inches apart. The anticipation bubbling inside him is overwhelming.

Derek nods again, and then it's finally, actually, _this time for real_ , happening. Their noses bump together a bit in their haste before they get the angle right, and then it's just bliss. There's the slick slide of lips, the rough scratch of stubble, hands clutching at his sides; it's everything he'd been hoping for, but also so much better because this time it's real.

When they pull back to breath they don't go far, foreheads resting against each other, hands clutching desperately, like they're afraid to let the other go.

"I love you, too," Derek breathes, his lips brushing against Stiles' as he speaks.

Stiles pulls him back in, because he's allowed to now, and it feels like a cliché but he honestly could not be happier at the moment.

Later, when the two of them are leaning into one another, and Laura and Boyd are toasting and thanking everyone for coming out, she complains about her brother attempting to upstage her on her special day. She feigns a glare at them and people laugh, but they know the truth, how Laura ran up to them, once they had finally separated and rejoined the party, squealing with how happy she was for them. Stiles winks at her and she gives a little nod; Derek huffs and pulls Stiles closer, dropping a kiss on the top of his head.

And Stiles is pretty damn content with it all.

+

He spends the night at the Hales. Tucked into Derek's side, until he eventually rolls away, kicks off the covers and lands a kick at Derek's shins in the process. He ends up being the little spoon and they both win.

Breakfast with the family is an entirely different affair.

He's dressed in Derek's shirt, which is two sizes too big, and Derek's gym shorts, also too big. Jackson takes one look at him when he and Derek step into the kitchen and leers.

"Shut up," Stiles huffs and beelines for the coffee maker.

"Didn't say anything," Jackson says smugly.

"Yeah, well, your face did."

"Boys," Talia sighs from where she's sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper.

The boys in question duck their heads in apology.

It doesn't take long for the rest of the family to filter in. Derek's father makes breakfast with the help of Boyd and Cora, French toast, fresh fruit, eggs, the works; Stiles is practically salivating by the time they sit down to eat.

It doesn't take long at all for Stiles' kissing history to pop up in the conversation. They all tell their stories in chronological order, Malia and Jackson leaving out some of the more risqué details thankfully. When Laura mentions that Stiles was waiting in line for Derek at the kissing booth he hears Derek's quiet inhale.

"You were waiting for me?" he asks, eyes a little wide.

Stiles nods, swallows a swig of orange juice. "Yeah," he says quietly, trying to keep their conversation somewhat private, it's useless, he knows.

"I'm sorry," Derek says, just as quietly, he looks guilty, and Stiles wonders if he's thinking about the words he'd shouted yesterday when he was hurt and angry.

"Don't be. Yesterday was so much better than any awkward kiss at a kissing booth could ever be," he says firmly, hoping Derek will believe it as the truth. Sure, maybe if it had happened then they would have gotten together sooner, or maybe it would have ruined things between them. They'll never be able to know, but he doesn't regret anything, and he hopes Derek feels the same. He thinks he does.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Derek leans in and kisses him sweetly, only to be interrupted by Laura making gagging noises like the mature adult she is.

This is his life, his family, and he's pretty damn proud of it.

Until Malia asks him, "So who's the best kisser?"

" _Oh my god_."

 

The answer, of course, is Derek.

 

 

 

  


 

**Author's Note:**

> im bilinskibutt on tumblr, come say hi :)


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